He began by driving his 2013 CRC Camaro to a runner-up finish at the event at Atlanta Dragway in April, and went on to runner-up at the event at Beech Bend Raceway in May and win at the events at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana in June and Route 66 Raceway Park in Illinois in July.

The icing on the cake was a runner-up finish at the final points race of the season at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio, as it helped him secure the 2016 championship in the class in the car powered by a sealed DR525 engine and RPM Transmissions-prepped Turbo 400.

Pulling double duty at each event, he drove to a runner-up finish at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida in March — and ultimately a third place finish in points — in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars in his 2014 COPO Camaro, which packs a 350 cubic-inch LS-based engine topped with a 2.9L Whipple supercharger.

On top of that, he captured the 2016 championship in the Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series’ Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Chevrolet Performance Stock category in his 2013 CRC Camaro, and as a bonus, he trapped a 10.239 in NMCA Chevrolet Performance Stock for an elapsed-time record and a 10.233 and 129.05 mph in Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series Chevrolet Performance Stock for elapsed-time and top-speed records.

“We were very proud that we were able to earn championships in two classes, finish in third place in another class and have the highest-placed COPO Camaro in the Factory Super Cars class,” said Pushis, who is supported in his efforts by his crew chief, Doug Thompson, as well as Scott Brown, Steve Hilterbrand, his wife, Kathy, and daughters, Sarah and Ashley. “In 2017, we hope to be even more competitive and make them come and beat us.”

Meanwhile, MPR Race Cars in Almont, Michigan recently upgraded the cage in Pushis’ 2014 COPO Camaro to 25.3 specs, and will soon do the same in the 2016 COPO Camaro he’ll debut in 2017. The car will have a 350 cubic-inch LS engine and 2.9L Whipple supercharger, and will see Holley EFI Factory Super Cars action, where Pushis hopes to lay down 8.20s.

When asked how he managed to win two championships in one season, Pushis said: “I have a family that supports me and a crew that works tirelessly to do whatever it takes in the name of racing and competition.”

Visit this Website in the weeks to come for more information about Pushis’ new 2016 COPO Camaro, as well as planned changes to the engines and transmissions in his cavalcade of cars.

]]>Johnson Named Competition Directorhttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/12/07/johnson-named-competition-director/
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 21:54:30 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3527ProMedia Events & Publishing is pleased to announce that Kurt E. Johnson has joined the team roster as Competition Director for the NMRA and NMCA event series. Johnson takes over for longtime ProMedia staffer Shannon Murphy, who will be stepping away from the role, but remains a part of the ProMedia family.

As Competition Director, Johnson will run on-track operations for both ProMedia series events, and will be working directly with Racing Operations Director Gene Bergstrom and General Manager Rollie Miller.

Johnson’s extensive experience began as a youth racing at dragstrips in the Northwest, and he eventually worked his way up the ranks and into the NHRA national event team. From there, he served as Operations Director at both Don Schumacher Racing, and at Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis where he created the successful Friday Night Race program and was integral in bringing the NMCA program to the facility.

After accepting an offer from the Bader family to be Track Manager at Summit Motorsports Park, Johnson brought the NMCA and NMRA to Norwalk, and was able to secure the rights to the wildly popular Shakedown event as well. In 2015, Johnson ventured out on his own as proprietor of Total Venue Concepts, which is a mobile company that provides all manner of racing event services.

“When it comes to track prep, facility preparations, and running events, Kurt is beyond compare,” said ProMedia General Manager Rollie Miller. “He’s one of the most talented event operators in the country today.”

In addition to having worked with Miller during their time with the NHRA, Johnson’s Total Venue Concepts was contracted by ProMedia to provide its services at a number of NMCA and NMRA events in 2015.

“I believe in the NMCA and NMRA,” Johnson said. “They have the potential to be game changers in the long run. The company has the best team out there right now. Rollie and I work together really well, and I’m confident that we can make good things happen.”

Johnson will direct his first event in March of 2017 with the 23rd Annual Nitto Tire NMRA Spring Break Shootout presented by Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida. For more information about the NMRA season opener go to www.NMRAdigital.com/FL.

]]>DeMayo, Jr. Driven to Back Up 2016 NA 10.5 Championshiphttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/12/06/demayo-jr-driven-to-back-up-2016-na-10-5-championship/
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:36:40 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3522While Quick Lane at Downs Ford NA 10.5 driver Mike DeMayo, Jr. was wrapping up repairs to his Mustang after a wreck in 2015 and was forced to miss the 2016 NMCA season opener in March, he was ready to roll at the second race of the season at Atlanta Dragway in April.

There, after literally finishing the car in the pit area, he qualified in the second spot with an 8.10, set class elapsed-time and top-speed records with a 7.859 and 170.73 and drove to a runner-up finish against Dwight Ausmus and his Firebird.

Hoping to continue dialing in the rebuilt car at the third race of the season at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky in May, he instead ended up with a flat tire and a few mechanical issues, and then hoping to cruise through rounds at the fourth race of the season at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana in June, he lost oil pressure in the semifinal as debris got stuck in his oil pump bypass and was forced to lift.

“We had the fastest car every round up to that point, so that really hurt,” said DeMayo.

With a successful test session under his belt after that, he defeated Ausmus in the final round at the fifth race of the season, the 11th Annual Nitto NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois in July, but struggled with ignition issues in the subsequent runoff against an NMRA driver.

With that, he was in second place in points going into final race of the season at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio in August.

“In order to win the championship, I was going to have to out-qualify Dwight (Ausmus) by at least one position and go one more round than him,” said DeMayo.

He managed to qualify in the top spot with a 7.90, defeat Aumus in the final, 7.90 to 7.98 and earn the 2016 Quick Lane at Downs Ford NA 10.5 championship. What all of that proves, among other things, is that despite some obstacles, he had succeeded in dialing in his car, which had been rebuilt by his shop, Blackbird Motorsports, in Pennsylvania, as well as Lundsford Engineering in Georgia, before being outfitted with a stout and sturdy 415 cubic-inch small-block Ford built by Gaby Labiosa of EIC Motorsports and topped with Ford D3 heads, an Edelbrock intake and Braswell carburetor.

“I had run a 7.90 in the final round at that race a year ago, so the fact that I ran it in the final again at that race this year makes me realize we’ve picked up where we left off since rebuilding the car, and now we need to move forward,” said DeMayo, whose records from the race in Georgia in April still stand. “There’s more left in the combination, and we’ll keep working on it, because I want to win another championship, and that’s going to be pretty damn hard.”

DeMayo and his fellow champions will be celebrated at the NMCA Awards Ceremony, Dec. 9 at the Indiana Convention Center.

]]>Warren Already Aiming for Another Nostalgia Muscle Car Championshiphttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/12/03/warren-already-aiming-for-another-nostalgia-muscle-car-championship/
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 01:07:11 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3516While 2015 Detroit TrueTrac Nostalgia Muscle Car champion Andy Warren was ready for the first NMCA race of 2016 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in March, his ’71 Caprice was not, so he climbed into Chip Rollins’ ’82 Malibu wagon for the weekend and wound up in the winner’s circle.

“The Caprice was going through some serious upgrades, and was up on jackstands at the time,” said Warren. “I was able to win an event in a car I had never stepped foot in, and that is a huge accomplishment.”

Back in his own car for the event at Atlanta Dragway in April, he replaced his previous best elapsed-time and mph of 10.24 and 128 mph with a 9.96 and 132 mph in a test pass, which moved him from the class’ 10.50 index to the 10.00 index. Helping him achieve that was his recently-freshened Knieriem-built engine, which was taken from 427 cubic-inches to 434 cubic-inches and packed with Scat rods and crank, plus Ross pistons, and then topped with new AFR 245cc heads, an Edelbrock intake and a Quick Fuel Black Diamond-series 1050 carburetor. He then ran to the second round of eliminations at that event.

“It was a huge achievement getting the big Caprice into the nine-second zone,” said an excited Warren. “AFR stepped up to the plate with my engine build, and was able to make the little 434 breathe.”

He followed that with a runner-up finish at the event at Beech Bend Raceway in May, and earned his second win of the year at the event at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana in June. While he exited competition early at the races at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois in July and Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio in August, he racked up enough points to earn the 2016 Detroit TrueTrac Nostalgia Muscle Car championship.

“2016 was interesting,” said Warren, who now has a whopping five Nostalgia Muscle Car championships under his belt. “I owe this championship to Chip Rollins for allowing me to drive his car at the season opener in Florida. I have a few upgrades planned for the Caprice, and they include a transmission freshen-up from Bilbrey Automotive, new American Racing Headers, new FlowMaster Outlaw II mufflers and some small weight-reduction projects to help get the car into the 9.80 range. I’ll be back in 2017, hoping to keep the championship-train rolling.”

The consistently-capable Warren, whose brother, John Warren, is a standout in Edelbrock Xtreme Street, will be celebrated at the NMCA Awards Ceremony, Dec. 9 at the Indiana Convention Center.

No other areas of racing engine development hold as much potential for increased performance as the cylinder head and its related components. Dart continues its revolutionary approach to perfection and power in this area by the recent release of their all new NMCA Pro Stock cylinder head.

We encourage all engine enthusiasts to come see our new head at the upcoming 2016 PRI show December 8th through the 10th at Darts display booth # 2211.

Call our technical sales team today for more information and a dealer near you at 248-362-1188. Visit Dartheads.com and follow Dart Machinery on Facebook for all the latest product news.

]]>Hockenberry Hopes to Back Up ’16 Open Comp Championshiphttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/12/02/hockenberry-hopes-to-back-up-16-open-comp-championship/
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 01:15:58 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3502While Chuck Hockenberry’s run for a championship began with a broken driveshaft at the NMCA season opener at Bradenton Motorsports Park in March, he turned things around in time for the second race of the season at Atlanta Dragway in Georgia in April.

There, the MagnaFuel Open Comp driver qualified eighteenth with an .030 reaction time and drove to the winner’s circle — as well as the semifinal in the event’s Open Comp All-Star Showdown — in his ’82 Mustang powered by a small-block Ford built by Detroit TruTrac Nostalgia Muscle Car driver Bryan Parker and topped with Edelbrock Victor Jr. heads.

The following month, he delivered his C4 Super Comp transmission to Performance Automatic to have it inspected and to have a forward pattern valve body replaced with a reverse pattern valve body, and delivered his converter to QuickDraw Converters to have it tightened. With help from Parker, he replaced his previous brakes with Strange disc brakes, and swapped 4.10 rear gears to 3.73 rear gears in an attempt to back off the 7000 rpm he was trapping.

“The car ran really well with the changes, and while I had to practically jump on the brakes with both feet to get the car to stop before, I barely had to apply pressure with the new brakes,” said Hockenberry, with a laugh.

He went on to another win at the prestigious 11th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois in July, and doubled-up by winning the runoff portion of the event. Then, he went into the final race of the season, the 15th Annual NMCA World Street Finals at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio in August, with the lead in points, but three racers had a chance to get around him for the 2016 championship.

“I, Kelly Pierce and Jenna Pierce-Wilson went out in the first round, and Donald Fenlon lost in the second round,” said Hockenberry, who’s supported in his race endeavors by his wife, Jean. “At that point, we figured out we had won the 2016 championship.”

This marks the first championship for Galena, Ohio-based Hockenberry, who has been racing in NMCA MagnaFuel Open Comp and NMRA Flex-A-Lite Open Comp since 2006 and has been 9.94 and 133 mph in his Mustang, which rolls on Mickey Thompson Pro Bracket Radials.

Photo courtesy of Driving Line/ Jose Torres

“I’m still on cloud nine, and I hope to go for it again in 2017,” said Hockenberry, who will be celebrated with his fellow champions during the NMCA Awards Ceremony, Dec. 9 at the Indiana Convention Center. “What great competition all year.”

]]>Strange Engineering Putting Money in Your Pocket in 2017http://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/12/01/strange-engineering-putting-money-in-your-pocket-in-2017/
Thu, 01 Dec 2016 20:23:42 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3499Strange Engineering has always looked for ways to reward its loyal customers by putting money back in the hands of the racers. NMRA & NMCA racers will have an opportunity to claim over $90,000 in posted contingency for the 2017 race season for Strange Axles and brakes. Unlike other companies, Strange only requires the decal and parts be on the car for verification. No receipts and no product expiration dates to contend with. Strange prides itself on paying out contingency quickly as well. Contingency decals can be picked up at the registration trailer at all NMRA & NMCA events. Strange is standing by with the check book open and pen in hand. Remember… Don’t just race, Race Strange!
]]>Induction Solutions’ Nitrous Power Controllerhttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/12/01/induction-solutions-nitrous-power-controller/
Thu, 01 Dec 2016 17:35:44 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3497Innovation never ceases in motorsports. Everyone is trying to have the fastest car out there, and the aftermarket is always looking to provide the parts that allow racers to meet their goals. Induction Solutions has been advancing the nitrous oxide injection market since its inception, with owner Steve Johnson having helped￼

many a racer reach his/her championship dreams. The hallmark of the company has been its customer service—Johnson actually gives out his personal cell phone number—as well as its constant improvement of products. Additionally, Induction Solutions is currently the only manufacturer in the nitrous market to blue-print and flow-test its nitrous systems, and its latest innovation for nitrous oxide racers is the company’s new Nitrous Power Controller.

]]>Kooks Goes Green with EPA-Certified Catalytic Convertershttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/11/28/kooks-goes-green-with-epa-certified-catalytic-converters/
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:42:15 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3494No longer do racers have to choose between making power or being emissions-compliant. Kooks Headers & Exhaust has developed an all-new line of Green Catalytic Converters that meets EPA guidelines and still delivers the raw power that Kooks fans have come to know and love. Kooks’ new cats eliminate emissions-related “check engine” lights with a 90-percent success rate, and meet all federal EPA standards. Universal to all Kooks systems and with both 2.5-inch and 3-inch sizes available, the new Green Cats work on applications up to 900 horsepower, handle exhaust temperatures up to 1,500°F, and are ideal for naturally aspirated as well as turbocharged or supercharged applications.
]]>Chevy Performance Wants To Hear From Youhttp://www.nmcadigital.com/2016/11/23/chevy-performance-wants-to-hear-from-you/
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 16:38:25 +0000http://www.nmcadigital.com/?p=3491Chevy Performance Wants To Hear From You

If you’ve ever wished that the automakers would ask you personally what your opinion is on something, now is your chance for your voice to be heard. Chevy Performance’s Drag Race Development Program has been putting together a line of severe duty components that are designed to beef up your own 2016-newer Camaro for dragstrip duty.

The team put together a test mule that was modified the way many enthusiasts would modify their own cars. A new ring and pinion out back was swapped in for better off-the-line acceleration as was a 4,200rpm stall converter. Air induction and exhaust systems were added, as were smaller-diameter brake rotors that fit inside the test car’s 16-inch rear racing wheels and slicks. Not leaving much untouched, the engineers installed a head and cam package along with a performance engine and transmission calibration that pushed the Camaro SS’ LT1 engine to more than 530 hp.

“More than simply achieving quick ETs in the Camaro, we are exploring the supporting components that help the car to go quicker with great durability,” said Mark Dickens, director, Performance Variants, Parts and Motorsports Engineering. “We’ve tested stronger axles and chassis components aimed at improving launch and traction attributes.”

The engineers didn’t stop there, as they got some time out of the office and made over 100 passes down the quarter-mile to evaluate the components. Their best 60-ft time came in just 1.425 second, while the quarter-mile flew by in 10.685 seconds at 125.73 mph.

They think you might like to buy these parts for your own 2016-newer Camaro SS, and they want to get your opinion on the topic. If you want to enjoy what the Camaro’s LT1 V-8 really has to offer, and want to keep it all-GM, check out the survey and let them know how you feel about it.